October 21, 2024
In late September 2024, Hurricane Helene severely damaged a medical-grade fluid manufacturing plant in North Carolina, forcing it to close. Just weeks later, Hurricane Milton led to the closure of a second medical-grade fluid plant in Florida.
The Florida plant sustained less damage and expects to resume production quickly. However, Baxter International’s North Cove plant in North Carolina, which supplies 60% of the medical-grade fluids used nationwide, will not return to full operations before the end of the year at the earliest. As a result, hospitals nationwide are experiencing severe IV fluid shortages and are working diligently to conserve supplies with minimal disruption to patient care.
Like our peers, The University of Kansas Health System is carefully reviewing all planned patient care to manage our fluid supplies, which include large-volume IV fluids (such as normal saline), total parenteral nutrition, IV electrolytes and more. These fluids play a critical role in patient care, including for surgeries, infusion therapy, dialysis, medication delivery and for providing nutrition and hydration.
As part of the region’s premier academic medical center, the health system is well prepared to navigate this challenge. We are creating solutions to manage supplies and ensure that our patients continue to receive the highest quality care. While we anticipate factory production will recover in time, we are proactively addressing the shortage now to ensure fluids are used efficiently. We appreciate your support and understanding during these next few months.
We will share updates on this page as the situation evolves.